Not all Israel is Israel

A conflation of concepts

And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him. He took up his discourse and said…Blessed is everyone who blesses you, and cursed is everyone who curses you. - Numbers. 24:2,9b

I’ve been pondering this article for quite some time, and with the current happenings in the Middle East, it seemed an appropriate time to get at least something on the topic published. Christians often reference Numbers 24 in claiming that we are to bless Israel, and then apply that to the Middle Eastern state of the same name. This, however, reflects a mistaken interpretation of Scripture. Before addressing how one might bless or curse Israel, we must first have a proper understanding of biblical Israel.

There are, in reality, four ways in which Israel is to be perceived. There is ethnic Israel (all those who descend from Jacob), religious Israel (those who ascribe to the Jewish religion, those who wish to live according to the law of Moses), spiritual Israel (God’s people chosen to be separate from the world), and geopolitical Israel (defined by borders and government). It is easy to be confused by these, and the fact that there is overlap (especially between ethnic and religious Israel*, and between ethnic Israel and spiritual Israel) serves to explain why so many conflate these concepts.

In the Old Testament, “Israel” (to which Scripture often referred as “the sons of Israel”) was, first and foremost (and almost always), a people - not a place. The first time the word Israel appears in Scripture is after Jacob wrestles God:

Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Genesis 3:24-28

Israel is the name God gave Jacob after Jacob had wrestled with God. After this incident, the Old Testament speaks often of Israel referring to the people, and in many places specifically says, “the sons of Israel,” hearkening back directly to Jacob, and in God’s terms, “My people Israel” (or “My people the sons of Israel”). This is ethnic Israel, the biblical nation of Israel. Ethnic Israel is called Israel regardless of location. When they were in Egypt, God’s people were called Israel. Prior to having their own land, Israel is called Israel. When God leads the Israelites into Canaan, the promised land, they are still called Israel, and the portions of land are known by the specific tribes, though the names of many of the cities remained and some were changed. The land itself, however, was not (at the time) called “Israel.” Paul also refers to them as a people, a people to whom the promises came and through whom came Christ:

For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Romans 9:3-5

*Side note: I am a member of ethnic Israel

In general, ethnic Israel is that to which most attribute the appellation “God’s chosen people.” After all, it is these people, still in Egypt, of whom God says:

The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Exodus 3:7-9

These are the same of whom Scripture tells us in the previous chapter:

Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Exodus 2:23-24

God’s covenant with the people goes back to Abraham, to whom He promised a son, Isaac, through whom Jacob - Israel, whose blood descendants are ethnic Israel - was born.

There is a distinction, however, to be made between this ethnic Israel and that to which, for lack of better terms, I am referring as spiritual, Israel. Spiritual Israel is (was originally - more on this shortly) a subset of ethnic Israel. God gave Israel commandments to which He expected adherence, but which more so were intended to point Israel to faith (as if all the miracles He performed for them were not enough) and toward the coming Messiah. The majority of ethnic Israel often strayed from God and His commandments. Despite their hard-heartedness, however, God always maintained a remnant for Himself, a contingent of those who remained faithful even in the most difficult times. This is spiritual Israel, those whom God kept for Himself, the Israelites who walked in the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

As we move into the New Testament, Jesus makes clear that some, though they descend from Abraham, are not Abraham’s “children”:

They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.

John 8:39-44

Here Jesus directly tells Israelites they are not Israelites. These men are not of the faith of Abraham, despite Abraham being their genetic ancestor. Paul also clarifies when he writes:

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

Romans 9:6-8 (caps in original)

Not all who are ethnic Israel are spiritual Israel. Religious Israel was known via the outward sign of circumcision; Paul distinguishes between religious Israel and spiritual Israel thusly:

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Romans 2:28-29

The Pharisees fashioned themselves devout, but they were not. They were religious, but they did not religiously follow God’s law - no, they modified God’s law to suit their purposes, and they followed that modified law. They were legalistic, not devout. As a result, many of ethnic Israel are said to have been cut off, and others grafted in:

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

Romans 11:17-24

This isn’t replacement theology. Perhaps it could be called augmentation theology. Though some of the natural branches have been pruned from spiritual Israel, others have been “grafted in,” as Paul puts it. Some of those who were “broken off” may be grafted back in; some will not. The wild olives who are grafted in are Gentiles, those who do not have Jacob as their ancestor, but who have faith in Christ. Just as those before Christ had faith in the coming Messiah and so were/will be saved, so those who live after Christ and have faith in Him are/will be saved. This is the nature of spiritual Israel. It is because of this that Paul can then say, “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-26a). “All Israel” who will be saved is spiritual Israel, not necessarily ethnic Israel.

*Side note: I am a member of spiritual Israel

To illustrate this, going back to the idea of a remnant, we can flip forward in Scripture to the book of Revelation:

“Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

Revelation 7:3-8

Here we learn that God will seal His remnant from ethnic Israel (descendants of each of the twelve tribes) to be made part of spiritual Israel.

In addition to ethnic Israel, and spiritual Israel, there is now geopolitical Israel. While the Israelites did at one time inhabit the promised land, a land with borders similar to those of the modern geopolitical state that goes by the name of Israel, most (if not all) biblical references to the land do not call it Israel.

Unlike our modern practice of labeling people based on the land in which they are born, in biblical times, people were generally known by their genealogy. In today’s vernacular, we have Americans (born in America or who hold American citizenship), Italians (born in Italy), Russians (born in Russia), etc. In Scripture, we read of Amalekites (descendants of Amalek), Canaanites (descendants of Canaan), and Edomites (descendants of Edom/Esau), etc. (I am speaking in generalities here - not absolutes) Notice even the difference in terminology regarding Israel - those descended from Israel were known as Israelites, whereas those now born in geopolitical Israel are know as Israelis.

This is where Christians have a tendency to conflate concepts. Christians seek to support geopolitical Israel as if it was ethnic Israel; however, geopolitical Israel is not the biblical nation of Israel (ethnic Israel). The biblical nation of Israel is a people; geopolitical Israel is a place. God made promises to a people; He did not make promises to a place. Yes, He promised a place for a people - but the two are distinct. Thus, when citing Numbers 24:9b (et. al.): “Blessed is everyone who blesses you, snd cursed is everyone who curses you,” Christians wrongly apply this to geopolitical Israel. Of the three times the likes of this phrase is found in Genesis and Numbers, it is always to a particular people.

Many Christians will argue, “you cannot separate the people Israel and the land Israel.” This also is mistaken. As stated earlier, Israel is Israel wherever the people happen to be, because God’s Israel is a people, not a place. Israel was Israel when they were in Egypt. Israel was Israel when they wandered the desert for forty years. Israel was Israel when they came into the promised land. Israel was Israel when they went into captivity in Babylon. And Israel remained Israel after the Diaspora, being dispersed among the nations of the world.

Some say that geopolitical Israel is the only Jewish country/nation; that it is. It was formed, based on the Balfour Declaration, as a “home for the Jewish people.” But the inhabitants are not all Jews, nor are all Jews residents of geopolitical Israel. While geopolitical Israel has the highest Jewish population* compared to any other country, totaling about 6.9 million (which is approximately 75% of the country’s population - most of the rest of the population is Muslim, Christian, and Druze), that is not even half of the world’s Jewish population. The U.S. isn’t far behind with a Jewish population* of approximately 5.7 million, and another 2.6 million are scattered among other countries. Therefore, to bless or curse “Israel,” according to the biblical standard, would be to bless or curse those 14-15 millions Jews* around the world, not a particular country. In light of this, Christians should not misapply Scripture equating geopolitical Israel with ethnic or spiritual Israel.

With all that said, the terrorist attack launched by Hamas on October 7 was an atrocity, and one that has revealed a great extent of Jew-hatred across the globe, mostly from the left (though in some surprising cases, from Christians as well). I had written on September 22, just two weeks prior, that peace in the Middle East is a noble but unachievable goal. The aggression began with one side - one side that broke a long-standing ceasefire; one side that complains about depleting food and fuel stores yet seems to suffer no shortage of rockets; one side that seeks the complete elimination of the other.

We most certainly should stand with any people who are victims of terrorism. Those who know me know this is not a call for the U.S. to send funds or munitions - I do not believe it appropriate for the U.S. to get involved in foreign conflict. We most certainly should stand also with those whose government would intentionally put them in harm’s way (the Palestinians - though it may very well be that for which they voted - at least in 2006 - I don’t believe Hamas has allowed voting since). No people should face genocide simply for existing. Unfortunately, this is what Hamas has sworn for the Jews of Israel (despite propaganda spreading among the Western left, this is not what Israel seeks for the Palestinians). This is the meaning behind “From the River to the Sea Palestine Will be Free.” It is a call for the extermination of the Jewish people living in geopolitical Israel. Regardless what one believes concerning Israel’s dealings with Palestine since the founding of geopolitical Israel (there is plenty of evidence against all the narratives being spun about Israel oppressing Palestine - it is their own government, not Israel, who oppresses the Palestinian people), no one should support a group that seeks to extinguish another. As Christians, we should stand against terrorism of any sort, and we should stand along side any whom another group seeks to destroy.

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*This article uses the terms ethnic Israel and religious Israel interchangeably, because most estimates of Jewish populations appear to be based on religious Israel, and because they are generally not distinguished from one another with regard to demographics or hatred. It should be noted, however, that though ethnic Israel and religious Israel overlap, they are distinct - not all religious Jews are ethnic Jews, nor are all ethnic Jews religious Jews.